On at least two crucial points, the Chilcot inquiry allowed Tony Blair to get away with murder (Righteous, responsible but no regrets: Blair’s day in the dock, 30 January). First, Blair continued to claim an essential link between Iraq and 9/11. It is a matter of record, however, that just a few hours after the 9/11 [...]
The attorney general’s legal opinion before the invasion of Iraq in 2003 resulted from a failure to understand the American attitude to law in general, and international law in particular, and a confusion between advice and advocacy.The American legal mind regards law not as a thing that gets applied but as a process that never [...]
When the Tories won the 1979 general election its leader received felicitations from newspaper editors to a tax-exile actorPeter Sellers Tax-exile actor: “Dear Mrs Thatcher as an ex-Goon from East Finchley I send you many congratulations on your marvellous victory.”Milton Friedman US economist: “Britain can lead us all to a rebirth of freedom as it [...]
Handwriting style shows Margaret Thatcher as someone who listens even if she does not always agree, says graphologist”This is quite a masculine hand in many ways, but it is softened slightly by the lack of sharp points on letters like n, m and h. It shows that she’s a little bit broader in her approach, [...]
There appear to be fewer round robin letters this year – but they are no less annoyingTime for our annual collection of round robin letters. I notice there are very slightly fewer this year, and that the average age of the writers is slightly higher. I’d like to think it’s the mockery from me and [...]
First of 73 appeals results in ‘vindication’ for Lib DemA Liberal Democrat frontbencher accused of wrongly claiming nearly £18,000 in expenses has become the first MP to successfully appeal.Jeremy Browne, the party’s Treasury spokesman, was initially ordered to repay the money after Sir Thomas Legg audited MPs’ expenses last year. He is one of 73 [...]
The damning report on income inequality by Professor Hills (Unequal Britain: richest 10% are now 100 times better off than the poorest, 27 January), makes extremely uncomfortable reading for anyone who wants a more equal society.The results are sobering. One measure indicates that by 2008, Britain had reached the highest level of income inequality since [...]
A man who harassed a woman for seven years has been jailed for just 16 weeks. Why is the law so slow to realise that stalking is a serious – and often violent – crime?Claire Waxman has spent much of the last seven years living in terror. During that period, her stalker has followed her [...]
William Shawcross repeats the familiar but false claim that Saddam had, and had used, weapons of mass destruction (Thanks to this ‘illegal’ war, Iraqis at last have real hope for the future, 27 January). What Saddam had and used – including, despicably, against Kurdish civilians at Halabja – were battlefield chemical weapons. As Robin Cook [...]
Far-right party told to address its entry criteria at extraordinary general meeting next month or face legal consequencesThe British National party was warned tonight that it had one last chance to scrap its constitution or face legal action under equality laws.Its leader, Nick Griffin, was told at a Central London county court session that new [...]